


Three Truths - One Shot

by Discordia



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-02
Updated: 2013-01-09
Packaged: 2017-11-17 14:41:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/552684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Discordia/pseuds/Discordia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bella Swan's unrequited love for Edward Cullen is a joke amongst their fellow vet students at Colorado State.  He's never returned her feelings for him, until a horse he's caring for finally succumbs to cancer, and he realizes that Bella's the only one who can comfort him. My contribution for the Fandom4Colorado Fundraiser.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> Warnings: (Non-graphic) death of an animal.   
> Notes: Big thanks for Karenec for beta-ing this. She always does such a lovely job whipping my stories into shape!  
> This was my contribution to the Fandom4Colorado Fundraiser. Oddly enough, I got the plot bunny and set the story in Colorado before I heard about the Colorado fundraiser. It seemed serendipitous, so I went with it! Hope you like it!

**Three Truths**

 

 _Truth: Bella loves Edward.  
  
Truth: Edward does not love Bella.  
_  
Sometimes it feels like Bella Swan’s always been around. I can’t even pinpoint the moment she appeared in my life. Since I started school at Colorado State, she’s been here on the periphery. With 27,000 students, I shouldn’t even see her on a regular basis. But we’re both in the veterinary program and that means we have most of the same classes together.   
  
She sits near me in the large lecture halls, not right next to me, but nearby. Always a bit behind me and to the side. I can feel her eyes on me as I take notes. She never takes notes, although she aces all of the tests. Instead, she stares, not boldly, but contemplatively. Like she’s trying to figure me out.   
  
I can’t figure _her_ out. I know she has a crush on me. She doesn’t hide it. But she’s not pushy about it. She’s never asked me out on a date, or spoken any words to me that weren’t related to our classes, the weather, or banal pleasantries. I don’t get it. I don’t understand her. I don’t know what she wants from me.  
  
I’m not anything out of the ordinary. I’m a guy getting his degree in Veterinary Medicine. I’m attractive enough, middle-class, in the top quarter of my class. I know there are smarter men, richer, more handsome. It’s not that I look down on myself, not at all, I am just realistic. Maybe if there were something extraordinary about me, I could understand Bella’s fascination. But there isn’t. And I don’t.  
  
Sometimes I wonder if she gets off, thinking about me. But I can’t quite picture that. Her eyes on me aren’t heated and wanting, just soft and pensive.   
  
She’s pretty. Not wildly stunning, but no one can deny that she’s attractive. Long dark hair that she usually braids and wears pulled over her shoulder. Fair skin, dark eyes, a nice smile. She’s average height, slender and nicely shaped. She wears jeans and t-shirts or sweatshirts most of the time.  If there’s one thing about the girls in the vet program it’s that they’re practical, no point in skirts and high heels when you’re going to be up to your knees in horse shit anyway. But it suits Bella. She looks good in the simple clothes she wears. It isn’t that I’m not attracted to her. I just feel uncomfortable that she likes me so much when she doesn’t even know me.  
  
I’ve had several girlfriends throughout my time here at Colorado State, but I don’t think Bella’s dated anyone. She has plenty of friends and there are guys who are interested, but she never dates them. She just stares. At me.

I don’t know what she wants from me, and it drives me crazy.  
  
If Bella Swan were shy, I could understand it. Shyness I get. I was pretty shy in elementary school when we moved from Colorado to Connecticut. I was nine when we moved to Hartford, and although I eventually made friends, I wasn’t very outgoing. I missed it here. I missed the mountains and the air, and the horse farms. Connecticut and the rigid formality of East Coast city life made me feel uncomfortable, even years after we moved. It’s the reason I moved back for college.   
  
I can respect shyness. But Bella isn’t shy. She’s not meek or even particularly quiet. She’s open and approachable, she laughs easily with friends, and even our interactions aren’t awkward. She doesn’t blush. But she doesn’t flirt with me either.  
  
I wouldn’t even believe that she had a crush on me, if it weren’t for the fact that it seems to be common knowledge among our classmates. I overhear people talking about it when they don’t realize I’m standing near them.   
  
It’s just a fact. Bella Swan is in love with Edward Cullen. It’s as true as the statements that there are mountains in Colorado and the food at the Corbitt Dining Center on campus is terrible.   
  
_Truth: the earth revolves around the sun.  
  
Truth: Bella loves Edward.   
_  
For a long time, I argued with people about it, made sure it was known that I didn’t return her feelings. And then I realized that kind of made me an ass. I don’t want to make her feel bad.   
  
But again, I have no idea what she wants from me. Is her staring supposed to entice me into wanting her? Am I supposed to make the first move?  
  
Sometimes I wonder if it’s all an elaborate scheme on her part to get my interest. It’s clever; I certainly do pay more attention to her than I would otherwise. I think about her constantly, wanting to understand why.  
  
But I don’t see her as being that manipulative. She breathes, and she loves me. It seems as simple as that.

**~3T~**

  
I’m mucking out a stall when I overhear her. All the vet students work at the Large Animal Clinic and a certain portion of our courses include animal care. Sick animals from across the state are brought in when local vets can’t diagnose their illness. Dr. Banner, the head of the Clinic, is like the Dr. House of vets. He’s brilliant and short on patience, although at least he’s without the painkiller addiction. He’s great with animals, and I know all of us have learned a great deal from him. But his standards are high, and none of us dare slack off on our expected care. Truthfully, I don’t mind much. Hauling out soggy straw and horse shit isn’t my idea of a good time, but I like the time with the horses.  
  
I’m in Riley’s stall. He’s a gorgeous old bay-colored Arabian gelding. He’s blind in one eye, and stumbles sometimes, but he’s the sweetest horse I’ve ever met. At twenty-one, he’s nearly the same age I am, but in horse years, that’s getting up there. I know he doesn’t have much longer, and it’s cancer. For once, it’s not the diagnosis that’s stumping the vets, it’s the fact that the type of cancer he has is rare in humans, much less in horses. It’s in the lining of the optic nerve of his eye. They’re fairly sure it’s metastasized. Being so close to his brain, there’s nothing they can do about it but make him comfortable. While they do that, they’re studying his symptoms, hopeful that they can learn from it, and do more to help the next horse that comes in.   
  
Riley’s owner is a sweet little sixteen year old named Ashley. She’s quiet, and a little awkward, but she loves that damn horse and I know it’s going to be hard on her when he goes. Hell, it’s going to be hard on me. I’ve gotten pretty attached.   
  
With the wheelbarrow is full of dirty bedding, I wheel it out, dump it in the bin so it can be sent for composting, and return with a bale of straw. Riley nuzzles my arm as I finish spreading the straw and I take a moment and lean against his broad flank. For being old, and sick, he looks remarkably strong. He’s average size for an Arabian, and as a Polish Arabian he’s slender and dainty, but still powerful. His injured eye is milky blue, but the other is a deep, warm shade of brown. Horses have very expressive eyes, and Riley is no exception.   
  
I reach a hand up under his forelock and rub between his ears. His black hair is floppy and always falling over the damaged eye. He whickers softly and nudges my hip with his nose.   
  
“Hey, buddy,” I say quietly. “Sorry. I wasn’t talking to you like usual, was I?”  
  
He dips his head and lets me scratch harder. Some sick horses get riled up and anxious when they’re at the clinic, but not this guy. He’s as sweet as can be, and I swallow hard, thinking about how little time he might have left.   
  
“How are you doing today?” I ask softly, still itching between his ears. It’s one of the few places horses can’t reach with their mouths, so I know it gets itchy. His eyes droop close, and he almost leans his head against my side. The medication we’re giving him makes him a little groggy, and he tends to get sleepy when we brush or pet him. I run a hand down his neck and he blinks at me, but doesn’t move. Sometimes I feel like I could stay like that forever, leaning against his warm flank and feeling the powerful muscles under my palm.  
  
Non horse-people don’t get it, but there’s something relaxing about the quiet, solid bulk of a horse. It’s reassuring in a way another human isn’t. Not that I don’t have plenty of friends and a great family to turn to when I need them, but I’ve always gone out to the barn when I want to think. It’s an automatic thing for me. Brushing them is relaxing for me, and I can talk without worrying about judgment, or unsolicited advice.  
  
“Ashley’s coming to see you tonight, buddy,” I remind him, and his ears twitch at the sound of her name. He knows her, loves her. Even drugged up and groggy from the anesthetics we gave him before we did the battery of tests last week, he knew her. Poor girl, she cried when she saw him, and I couldn’t blame her. But he’s a bit more like himself today and I think she’ll be glad to see it. I know I am.  
  
I’ve finished brushing him and given him one last pat on the nose when I hear Bella speak. She’s a couple of stalls over with Charger, the palomino mare who injured her leg a couple of days ago. She’s talking with Alice. Alice is another vet student. She’s so tiny; I’m always amazed to see the way she doesn’t let horses boss her around. But it takes attitude even more than physical strength to lead a horse, and she has that in spades. Pretty decent guns as well. Maybe it’s more obvious because she’s so small, but she has biceps like you wouldn’t believe. Most vet students are in pretty good shape, you kind of have to be if you’re going to haul around bales of straw and hay, and lead a horse. But Alice puts the rest of us to shame.  
  
“Did you see him with Riley the other day?” Bella says. I tilt my head, wondering if she’s talking about me. Each vet student is assigned several horses, but there’s always one or two that become favorites, especially if they’re here for a while. And everyone knows he’s mine.  
  
“Who? Edward?” Alice asks.   
  
Bella laughs softly. “Who else?”  
  
“Fair enough. You really don’t see any of the other hot guys around here, do you?”  
  
“No. I just see him,” she says simply.  
  
“I don’t get it.” Alice sounds baffled, and frankly, I have to agree with her. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s cute and all, I just don’t get this obsession you have.”  
  
Bella’s voice is sure but gentle. “I know. I don’t expect anyone to. I’m not sure I totally understand it either. ”  
  
“What made you notice him in the first place? Was he hauling bales of hay, because let me tell you, I about tackled Jasper when I saw him shirtless and hauling hay.”  
  
Bella’s answering laugh is soft. “No. Although, I’ve certainly enjoyed watching that since. We were in class. It was a teaching case, and Dr. Banner was lecturing on Equine Encephalitis. He referenced a specific case during the lecture, and at the end, Edward asked if the horse survived. And he sounded so genuinely worried for it. No one else cared. That’s when I fell for him. I just knew that any man who cares so much about an animal he’s never even met was the kind of man I’m meant to be with.”  
  
I blink in surprise, barely even remembering the incident she’s talking about. It makes me feel a bit better about her though. It’s one thing to be attracted to someone, but the idea of her thinking she was in love with me without actually knowing me well, seemed strange. But maybe she does know me. Or, at least a really big part of me.  
  
I’m a huge softy for animals, especially horses. Obviously, all vet students care, or they wouldn’t be going into the field, but it’s always been very personal for me. Seeing them hurt, makes me hurt. I do get attached, like I am with Riley. I absentmindedly scratch him, and wonder if Bella will continue. I’m curious now.  
  
“He is really good with the horses,” Alice admits. “What were you saying about seeing him with Riley?”  
  
"Oh," she laughs quietly. "It was one night as I was headed out. He'd finished up with Riley's stall, and was just standing there talking to him. He talked about his day, and about Ashley and how much he knows she misses Riley. It's like they're friends. It's just...it's the sweetest thing. I shouldn't have, I don't like to make him uncomfortable, but I stood there and watched them for a minute. This tall, strong guy with the rough hands and yet he was so gentle as he petted him and told him goodnight. And I... God, Alice, he'd probably be embarrassed if he knew I'd seen him, and I know he'd be embarrassed to have me tell you, but...."  
  
Her voice trails off for a moment before she speaks. "He kissed him on the nose. It was the sweetest, most adorable thing I've ever seen. Forget a man with a baby, a man kissing a horse just makes me melt."  
  
"That is pretty damn adorable," Alice agrees.

I am slightly embarrassed that Bella saw that, but I'm not ashamed.  
  
“They just… click. If it weren’t so sweet, I’d be jealous of the horse.”  
  
I smile and lean my forehead against Riley to muffle my laughter. She has a point. If she really does care about me, I’m sure it drives her a little crazy that I spend hours a day talking to and touching Riley rather than her. Not to mention kissing him.  
  
“I don’t know,” Bella continues. “It just makes me like him that much more.”  
  
“He’s not into you though,” Alice says gently.  
  
Rather than lash out, Bella only chuckles. “Thank you for pointing out the obvious. I know that. I do. And I honestly don’t expect it to change. I don’t think he’s going to wake up one morning and decide he’s in love with me. It hurts, of course it does, but I’ll survive. And when we’re done with school and I don’t see him on a daily basis, I’ll eventually get over it I suppose.”  
  
For some reason those words make me feel funny, like the idea of Bella not loving me has shifted the world on its axis. Even though I don’t actually want her to be in love with me.   
  
“Oh, buddy, this is all so confusing,” I whisper against Riley’s neck.   
  
He whickers softly in agreement and I reward him by sliding my hand up under his mane and scratching there. It’s another itchy place. I rub absently as Bella keeps talking.  
  
“I’m not going to be some spinster, still pining for the guy in college I used to know. I’ll get over him and meet someone who loves me back eventually. I promise, I won’t be a crazy old cat lady.”  
  
“Just a crazy old horse lady,” Alice teases and Bella laughs.   
  
“Sure, but that has nothing to do with me being in love with Edward.”  
  
It’s strange to hear those words come out of her mouth. Knowing it is one thing, but hearing it is another.  
  
 _Truth: Bella loves Edward_  
  
“I just don’t get why you haven’t asked him out.”  
  
I suddenly wish I could see Bella’s expression, because it’s a question I’ve been dying to know for years.  
  
“Because, by the time I realized how I felt about him, everyone else already knew. You know how everyone is in this program; gossip is like oxygen to them. I felt…ridiculous asking him out then. And I couldn’t bear the thought of him rejecting me and having every single person know and then gossip about it…. It’s one thing to know he isn’t interested, but to hear him say it to my face is just too painful.”  
  
I step back from Riley and drop to the floor, my back sliding along the stall wall as I sink down onto the fresh straw. Fuck, I feel like an asshole now. No wonder she never really pursued me. She’s right about the gossip, too. Everyone knows your business. Sometimes it was things you really don’t want to know. Like the fact that our fellow vet student, Mike Newton, is plowing the sixty-five year old receptionist for the Large Animal Clinic. Tanya is not a woman who has aged well. I shudder at the thought, and then sober, thinking more about Bella. I’m so lost in my thoughts I don’t even notice when Bella and Alice leave.  
  
Eventually, Riley nudges my knee with his nose and I look up at him. His big brown eye stares at me and I chuckle softly and stand up, giving him a few more pats and a quick kiss on the nose before checking his water and meds one last time, and heading out for the night. Bella and Alice are long gone, but I find myself thinking about her while I drive home, shower and eat dinner.  
  
 _Maybe I need to be a little nicer to her,_ I realize as I drift off to sleep. Her interest in me no longer frustrates and confuses me. I get it now, and I just feel bad that I don’t return the feelings.   
  
She deserves someone who will love her as much as she loves me.

**~3T~**

  
I try to be nicer to her in the following week, but instead of being grateful, she just looks confused. I’m the one making awkward conversation and asking her about Charger, when there’s no real reason to. I know Charger will be going home in a few days, we all heard the vet overseeing the case update us on her condition. Bella’s not rude to me, but she just looks perplexed, and a little bit wistful.  
  
I realize I’m probably sending her really mixed signals, because once I back off, she looks even more wistful, and really disappointed. I _am_ an asshole, but I don't mean to be.  
  
Riley hangs in there, and Ashley visits every day. She and her family live half an hour away from us here in Fort Collins. But she makes the drive every single day after she gets out of school. I’m usually finishing up my daily clinic time just as she gets here, and I like watching her interact with him. Some days she’s cheerful and upbeat. She likes to sing to him. He seems to enjoy the ridiculous pop tunes, even if the rest of us roll our eyes at the sound of a sixteen-year-old girl singing Justin Bieber to her horse. Some days she’s really quiet, and does her homework in his stall.   
  
Once, I even found her curled up asleep in there. The thought of a small, fragile girl falling asleep next to a sick horse makes me anxious. There’s no telling what could happen if he got agitated and accidentally stepped on her or panicked and kicked. The majority of injuries caused by horses are due to human inattention. But I don’t worry about Ashley and Riley. In fact, when I peer in to check on them, he’s lying down, too. It depends on the horse, but it’s rare to see them lie down. Their bodies just aren’t designed for it. They sleep standing up. He’s exhausted though, and sometimes laying down seems to help him conserve his strength.   
  
Ashley’s asleep, with her hand on his back. He’s more drifting than sleeping, and he lets out a quiet snorting sound of contentment. I suddenly want to show them to someone, and it’s funny, but for the first time it’s Bella I think of immediately. I know she’d appreciate it. But she’s gone for the day.  
  
I ask one of the night techs to keep an eye on Ashley and Riley when I head out, and she readily agrees. I’m not really worried, but I want to make sure they’re both doing okay. You can’t be too careful. I go home and shower and change, before heading to the bar.  
  
We vet students hang out at the New Belgium Brewing Company a lot. It’s always crowded, with tourists going on brewery tours and doing beer tastings, but the locals love it, too. I slide into a chair and order a beer from the pretty blonde waitress before I even turn to say hi to my friends. It’s been a long week.  
  
“Hey, Emmett.” I turn to my buddy and he raises a glass to me.   
  
“Nice of you to join us.”  
  
“Long week. Hey, Rose.”  
  
Emmett, and his girlfriend Rose, are large animal vet students as well, but they’re both focusing on cows, sheep and goats, rather than horses. I think he’s out of his damn mind, but Emmett swears that cows have more personality than horses. He’s nuts. Still, we’re good friends, and I like his girlfriend. They’ve been together about six months and seem happy. She’s a really laid-back girl, and funny as hell.   
  
“Hey, Edward,” she responds with a smile.  
  
“Who else is coming tonight?” I ask Emmett.  
  
“Paul, Sam and Emily, and Jane.” They’re all fellow vet students. Sam and Emily are dating. It’s funny, but we have a very insular group. Everyone within the program makes friends with and dates each other. It gets messy occasionally, when couples who split up have to work together on a case. But for the most part, it works.  
  
“Cool.”  
  
“Your stalker’s here,” Emmett adds.  
  
“My what?”   
  
“Bella.”  
  
“She’s not my stalker,” I snap, and then wonder why it bothers me so much that he calls her that.  
  
“Oh come on, it’s funny, Edward, you’ve laughed at it every other time.”  
  
He’s right, but it still makes me feel weird all of a sudden. “Look, just ease up on her.”  
  
Emmett holds up his hands in surrender. “Dude, fine. I just don’t see what your sudden change of heart is about, unless you’re interested in her.”  
  
“No, it’s not that. I just feel kinda shitty about the way everyone harasses her about it.” I drop my voice. “I overheard a conversation she had with Alice, and it made me realize I’ve been a little harsh on her. Considering how much she gets teased about it, I think she’s actually been pretty decent about the whole thing. I just don’t want to be an ass about it, okay?”  
  
“Okay. Sorry.”  
  
“You’re probably right, Edward,” Rose says. “She’s gotta be really uncomfortable about the whole thing.”  
  
“Exactly. And she’s never done anything even remotely stalkerish to me. She's just... there.”  
  
The conversation is interrupted when the waitress sets down my beer. It’s the 1554, a dark, malty beer that’s my favorite. They have an amazing selection, and there are few I don’t like, 1554 is just my go-to beer.   
  
The waitress, Jessica, smiles and touches my shoulder and asks if I need anything else. She’s very pretty, and I flirt back a little. Nothing too over the top, I’m not actually trying to get her to go home with me, but enough so that she knows I’m not uninterested. The rest of our friends arrive, and I forget all about Bella.   
  
When an incredible ass crosses my line of vision, I don’t even realize it belongs to Bella. The place is crowded, and in the gap between two people, I see a pair of jeans at the bar. They curve around a very well-toned ass and thighs. The girl is bracing herself on the bar, so her ass is pushed out toward me. I tear my eyes away to see if the rest of her is as appealing, when a guy steps up behind her. He blocks my view of her, and I grudgingly look away and return to the conversation at the table. I find myself sneaking surreptitious glances over at the bar, and eventually, I see a girl slip out from the crowd of people. She glances over in this direction and I simultaneously realize that its Bella looking at me, and that her ass is the one I’ve been checking out.   
  
I blink in confusion and try not to choke on my beer. I’ve never thought she had a bad body, not at all, but apparently I’d never seen her in the pair of jeans she’s wearing tonight, because I can’t get the image of that nicely rounded ass out of my mind. I know she shows horses, and she rides English. Riding, especially English, does amazing things to a girl’s thighs, hips, and ass. It’s a very athletic sport, and builds the muscles there. It also makes them amazing in bed. You’ve never been ridden, until you’ve been ridden by a girl who shows English. I shift in my chair, aroused, and completely bewildered by the fact that I am imagining Bella on top of me. That is definitely new.   
  
I can’t stop looking at her though, even after she turns away and joins a few people at a table. She’s sitting sideways, and I find myself looking at her upper body, noticing the long lines of her arms and the way the black top she’s wearing falls down on one shoulder. It’s still a t-shirt, or at least the same kind of fabric. I know crap-all about girls’ clothing, but it seems like the same stretchy, thin fabric. It’s sort of gathered and drape-y, and I don’t quite understand it, but I like it. It leaves her arms bare, and scoops down in the front and even lower in the back. It’s the kind of shirt that makes you want to kiss a girl’s neck. Her hair is in a braid like always, but it seems looser, and softer somehow. She’s actually really fucking pretty. She looks soft and approachable and I watch her drink her beer. I can tell from the label on the beer bottle that she’s drinking Prickly Passion, the brewery’s amber beer that’s made with prickly pear and passion fruit. I’d call it a girly drink, but it’s actually stronger than what I’m drinking, and it’s really fucking good. I’m confused when I realize I want to lick it off her lips.   
  
Unsettled, I order another beer. Jessica flirts with me again, and a part of me really wants to take her home. She seems nice. She’s not trashy, or obnoxiously pushy. Just a cute girl who is showing interest in me. But I can’t do it. Not when my cock is hard from Bella, and I don’t understand why. I’m not the kind of guy who would do that. To either of them. It’s a shitty thing to fuck a girl and want her to be someone else. And an even shittier thing to go home with some girl, when the girl who loves you is watching.  
  
So, I let Jessica down gently, and say goodnight to my friends. I can feel Bella’s eyes on me as I leave.

**~3T~**

  
I’m not technically on clinic duty over the weekend, but I go in to see Riley on Saturday anyway. Ashley’s there and we talk about how he’s doing. She knows as well as I do how soon he’ll go, but instead of crying about how unfair it is, she’s enjoying her time with him. I know she probably does cry, in the privacy of her own bedroom, and on her mom’s shoulders, but she’s pretty stoic here at the clinic. I’ve only seen her get choked up once or twice. She’s a good kid. Mature for her age.  
  
We feed him the slices of apple that she brought, and he whickers appreciatively and rubs his nose on my hip and gently lips at my arm. You have to be careful, a horse being playful can still easily hurt you, but I know this guy, and I trust that he won’t hurt me. It’s kind of gross, they get slobber everywhere, and his is mixed with little bits of apple. But, it’s something horses do to each other in a herd, so when they do it to a human, it means they like you a lot.   
  
Getting bit by a horse, accidentally or not, hurts like a bitch. But Riley is gentle, and although I have to wash the slobber off my arm later, I don’t really mind it. I leave him with Ashley, and head back home.  I catch a movie with some friends on Saturday night, and I spend the rest of the weekend studying, doing laundry and cleaning up around my apartment. Unfortunately, it doesn’t keep me from thinking about Bella.  
  
Riley’s worse on Monday, and I get a lump in my throat as I check over his most recent lab results. It’s just a matter of time now. Dr. Banner’s the one who calls Ashley and her family, and I’m grateful. I don’t know if I could get the words out without choking up.  
  
I see him get weaker and weaker over the next few days. By the time Ashley leaves him late Thursday night, I know he probably has less than twenty-four hours. Although visiting hours are long over, I offer to let her stay the night.   
  
“Are you sure, Ashley? He probably won’t still be with us tomorrow,” I ask her gently.  
  
She sniffles and leans on her mom. “I know. I don’t think I can be here for that, though. I said goodbye.”  
  
“I’ll stay with him tonight, then,” I offer.   
  
She gives me a watery smile. “Thanks, Edward. He really likes you a lot.”  
  
I nod, and squeeze her shoulder. She walks off sniffling and I see her mom wipe at her own eyes.   
  
Riley is a retired show horse. He showed dressage for years, but the injury that blinded him put him out of commission. It was a careless handler who let him get agitated and slam into a sharp piece of metal on a trailer while they were loading him. He’s such a mellow horse that I can’t imagine how incompetent the guy was to have riled him up like that. It makes me angry to think that someone's idiocy hurt him like that. We have no way of knowing if the eye injury and subsequent blindness is what caused the cancer. There’s no way _to_ know. But it’s suspect that the cancer began in the injured eye. We don’t understand the connection, but I know Dr. Banner thinks there’s a least a possibility that they could be linked.   
  
Ashley told me the story of how they got him. His owner, the woman who showed him dressage, was moving from Colorado to Michigan, and didn't want to transport him. He was already retired after his injury, and about fifteen. She was looking for a good home that would care for him as he got old. She obviously picked the right one. I know this horse is loved. Ashley was eleven when they got him, and he's been a huge part of her life. She doesn't want to show, she just loves trail riding and working him in the paddock of their forty acre farm. It's a good life for a horse.   
  
My work is long done for the day, so I go right into Riley’s stall. His head is hanging low, and I can see how weak and tired he is. He’s not any real pain though, and I’m grateful for that. It’s the reason why we haven’t put him down. It’s always better to let an animal die on their own, as long it isn’t prolonging their suffering.   
  
I spend an hour brushing him, and combing through his mane and tail. He looks remarkably good for a horse that’s knocking on death’s door. His eyes though... something in them makes me swear he knows.   
  
“I know, buddy,” I whisper, my voice hoarse and raspy. “Not long now.”  
  
He leans his head in to me and I can feel the ache begin in my chest. It doesn’t seem fair that this beautiful, sweet horse is dying. I’ve met people in my life who deserve to live less than he does. But, he’s lived a full, happy life, and I know he’s ready. I can see that in his eyes, too.  
  
I squeeze my eyes shut tightly and murmur in his ear, quiet, soothing words that don’t mean anything. Hours pass, and I know my body should be protesting at the way I’m standing, but I don’t even feel it. I’m afraid to leave him for even a moment.  
  
Eventually, he stumbles, and I help ease him to the ground, or at least as much as I can manage with a thousand pound horse. He goes down fairly easily though, and I feel his breathing grow heavy and strained.   
  
“It’s okay,” I whisper. “Ashley loves you, and so do the rest of us, but you can go, if you’re ready.”

A few moments later, he lets out a deep, shuddering sigh, and then he’s gone. I close his eyes, and lean against his broad flank. It’s warm, and I spend a long time stroking my hand along his neck, my eyes stinging with hot, salty tears. I can smell the mingled aromas of the barn, fresh hay and warm horses. I hear a horse in another stall let out a quiet whicker and I rub the back of my arm across my eyes.  
  
It’s worse than I anticipated; the ache in my chest, and the lump in my throat. I have no idea how much longer I sit there quietly before a vet tech passes by. Her face crumples when she realizes he’s dead, and she nods at me. “I’ll give you two a little while, okay?”  
  
I nod tightly. In a while, they’ll come and take his body, but in the meantime I say my goodbyes and straighten his forelock and mane. It’s falling over his eye, like always. I leave my hand on his neck and bend my head, pressing it to my updrawn knee. I’m exhausted, but I’m not quite ready to leave yet.  
  
“Edward?” a sweet voice asks some time later, and I lift my head. It’s Bella, and I suddenly realize that there’s no one in the world I’m more grateful to see. Her expression is so soft and caring. I know without a doubt she can feel my pain.  
  
“What are you doing here?” I ask hoarsely. She comes inside the stall and drops to her knees beside me.   
  
“I knew Riley wasn’t going to make it longer, and I couldn’t sleep. I kept wondering if you were here, and if you needed me.”  
  
I nod, gratefully. I do need her. I don’t know how she knew, and I can't explain it, but I really, really do need her. Not any caring person, but Bella specifically. She’s the only one who understands how hard this is for me.  
  
I hold out my arm and feel her skin against mine for the first time as she tucks herself against my body. It’s perfect. I’ve spent years avoiding this, and yet the feel of her in my arms is exactly right. I close my eyes and press my lips to her hair. My eyes are watering again and my chest aches.   
  
“Thank you,” I whisper.  
  
She doesn’t reply, just shifts until she’s settled closer to me. My shoulder is leaning against the stall wall, and she’s tucked against my hip, her head on my chest, her hand on my stomach. Her other hand slides under the back of my shirt to touch my back. Her fingers are soft and warm and the awful, aching feeling recedes a little.   
  
"I'm sorry, Bella," I whisper.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For not seeing you. For making you feel bad about caring about me."  
  
"You didn't make me feel bad. At least, not intentionally. Don't get me wrong, I didn't exactly feel great about the fact that I was crazy about you, and you didn't care about me one way or the other. But I never felt like you were being cruel about it."  
  
I sigh. It's been an emotionally exhausting night. Between Riley's death and the revelation that I do care for Bella, I'm worn out. But nothing in the world could get me to move right now. We sit there quietly for a long time, her fingers softly stroking my back. Her steady breathing and quiet presence is exactly what I need.   
  
When she finally speaks I realize I've been waiting for the question. "What changed your mind?"  
  
"I don't know, not exactly. I think it started when I overheard your conversation with Alice about me. When you told her about the moment you fell for me. I realized you did know me, really well, in fact. And I respect the reason. For a while, I thought you were just... infatuated with me, maybe."  
  
"No.” Her voice is gentle but firm. "I love you, Edward Cullen. I love that you spent the night here with Riley, so he wouldn't be alone. I love that you talked to him every day, kissed him goodbye, came in on your days off. I love that you're going to be the most amazing vet ever. That's more than enough for me to know and respect you, to admire your character. You're handsome, I won't deny that I've noticed that, but I love your mind and your soul and especially your heart."  
  
Jesus, this girl... something about the way she speaks makes my heart ache, but in a good way. Now, instead of being put off by her single-minded determination and curious gaze, I like it. She's so straightforward, so uncomplicated. She's honest and observant, and I'm shocked to realize that she's exactly the kind of girl I want to be with. It's true that we have a long way to go before we'll know each other completely, but I want to. I want her to know me. I want her to see inside my brain and my heart. And I really want to learn about her.  
  
I tug at her gently and we situate ourselves so that she's curled up on my lap. Her brown eyes are eager, and she doesn't hesitate to slide her hands into my hair and press her lips to mine. They're soft and sweet, like her, and I'm suddenly reminded of my need to taste the Prickly Passion beer on them before. Now, they just taste like toothpaste, and she smells like laundry detergent. It's simple and unassuming. Reassuring almost. I cup her cheek and let my hand sink into her hair. It's braided like always and really thick and soft. She makes the quietest little sound of contentment in the back of her throat, and I think that I could probably spend the rest of my life coaxing her to make that noise.  
  
I want to see her ride, see the wind make her long braid fly back, and her cheeks go pink from the excitement of galloping full-tilt. I want to know if freckles dust the tops of her breasts, the way they do her nose. I want to see her ride me, find out if her hips would really move the way I imagine they would.  I want to lay her down on a blanket on top of a cushion of straw in the dappled sunlight and just look at her. And then I want to touch her until she cries out my name and shatters. I want her.  
  
I close my eyes and let my lips slow. Hers do too, but a fraction more reluctantly, as if she's a little afraid I'm going to stop completely. So I whisper what I've just been thinking, right there against her mouth. Her cheeks do go pink, but it's from my words, and I somehow think that's even better.  
  
She whispers her own dreams and fantasies, and they're similar enough to mine that I know we're gonna work out just fine, but different enough that I know I'll never be bored.    
  
“It’s okay, you can tell me, ‘I told you so’,” I tease her, after I pull back to look her in the eye.  
  
She shrugs and gives me a soft little grin that makes my heart race. I’m done for. I don’t know what the hell was wrong with me, because I should have realized it all along. Bella Swan is the perfect girl for me.  
  
There are three truths in the world now.  
  
 _Truth: the earth revolves around the sun.  
_  
 _Truth: Bella loves Edward.  
  
Truth: Edward loves Bella._


	2. Outtake - The Fourth Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: (CONTENT and LEGAL) All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> Notes: This is an outtake (essentially a second chapter) for my one-shot “Three Truths”. It was written for the Fandom for Preemies Fundraiser. I did a separate banner for this outtake. Here’s the link to the banner if you’d like to see it! http://i47.tinypic.com/21j4pis.jpg
> 
> This outtake continues immediately after the one-shot ends and covers the beginning of their relationship. Rated M for lemons.
> 
> Beta’d by the always lovely Karenec. I’d be lost without her.

**Three Truths – Outtake: The Fourth Truth**

_Truth: the earth revolves around the sun.  
_   
_Truth: Bella loves Edward._

_Truth: Edward loves Bella._

* * *

 

I place my hand on Riley’s flank; his body is already beginning to cool. Bella rubs soft circles on my back, her hand still up under my shirt, and it’s enough to keep me from breaking down again. I whisper a final goodbye and Bella takes a moment to do the same. Her eyes are sad as she glances up at me, and I know that she understands exactly what I’m going through. It’s reassuring and a little bit freeing. I take the time to let the vet tech know I’m done, and leave Riley in her hands. I’ll have to call Ashley tomorrow, something I’m absolutely dreading.

Bella and I walk out to the parking lot hand in hand. It feels good, feels right. I stop by her dark blue truck. It’s about six or seven years old, well cared for, but clearly used.

“Come home with me tonight,” I blurt out. Bella turns to me in surprise. “I mean, I’d like it if you came home with me. I don’t want to sleep with you … well, I do want to,” I correct myself. “But I don’t expect that, not tonight.  Or well, not until you want to. I mean ….”

 _Jesus, what the fuck is wrong with me?_ I wonder. I have never rambled this much in my life.

Bella’s lips curl up into a smile and she shakes her head at me, pressing her finger against my mouth. “Shh. I understand. You just don’t want to be alone tonight. I get that.”

“Sort of,” I admit. “But not just anyone, Bella. I want it to be you.”

She nods. “Then I’d love to.”

“Great. Do you need to come in tomorrow?” I ask.

“I’m not scheduled until afternoon.”

“Want to leave your truck here?”

“Sure, let me just grab my bag.” She unlocks her truck and I reluctantly let her go.

I slump against the side of it, grateful that she seems to understand my rambling need for her beside me tonight. I was dreading the thought of falling asleep alone. Curling up in bed with Bella seems infinitely more appealing.

In no time at all, she’s tucked into the passenger seat of my Sonoma pickup and we’re on our way to my apartment. We’re both quiet, but her presence, and her hand on my thigh, is enough. We don’t really speak until we’re at my apartment. I let her shower first, keeping myself busy with mundane things like tidying up and changing the sheets on the bed.

She’s soft and wet when she gets out of the shower, dressed in the huge shirt and boxers I loaned her.  My feet carry me over to where she’s standing without a second thought, wanting to be close to her.   She smells like my shampoo, although I know she had a small toiletry kit in her truck. We all carry them, you never know if a case will run long and you’ll be stuck somewhere without a toothbrush. My kit just holds the basics. Bella's apparently holds a contact case, because she’s wearing glasses I didn’t even know she needed. She looks cute, and a little shy, and I brush my lips over hers and gesture toward the bed.

“Get comfortable. I’ll be right back after my shower.”

The hot water feels good, and I do my best to push away the thoughts of Riley, as well as the beautiful girl in my bed. If I think about the horse I lost, I’ll fall apart in the shower. If I think of Bella, however, I’ll be hard when I climb into bed beside her. I want her, but I’m too emotionally exhausted to explore that tonight.

After I finish in the shower, I dry myself quickly and slip into a t-shirt and pajama pants.  I brush my teeth equally fast; eager to hold Bella in my arms again.  I wouldn’t have made it through tonight without her.   When I come out into the bedroom, the lights are out except the one beside the bed and she’s on her side, reading the book off my nightstand. She turns to smile at me.

“Have a good shower?”

“It felt great,” I say honestly, flipping back the covers and sliding into bed beside her. My brain is trying to wrap around the fact that I am in bed with Bella Swan. If someone had told me that a few weeks ago, I would have thought they were nuts.

She puts the book down on the nightstand and turns over to face me. “So you read James Herriot, huh?”

I shrug and smile at her. “I loved the books when I was a kid, I guess it’s part of why I wanted to be a vet. It’s kind of the book equivalent of comfort food for me.”

“Mmm, they’re good stories.”

I push her hair off her cheek and cup it; my palm looks huge against her face. “Thank you.”

“For what?” She scoots closer, so our feet are tangled together, our knees bumping, and heads so close that our breaths mingle; minty from toothpaste.

“For coming tonight. How did you know I needed you?”

“I didn’t. I just knew he wasn’t doing well and that it was going to be really hard for you. I wanted to be there for you, if you wanted me.”

“I don’t think I could have done it without you,” I say honestly.

“I’m just glad you didn’t have to.”

I lean in, brushing my lips across hers. She tastes minty, too, but sweet. Her mouth already feels familiar to me, as does the sound of the little sigh she lets out after I pull away. I kiss her again, feeling drugged by the taste and feel of her. I lose track of how long we kiss for, all I know is that it makes the ache of losing Riley go away, although another ache soon follows.

She ends up on her back, my body half over hers, kissing desperately, her hands in my hair, tugging. My hand is under her shirt, against the smooth, soft skin over her ribs. My fingers brush the edge of her breast and I can tell she doesn’t have a bra on. My cock is hard, pinned between my belly and the mattress. I give in to the urge to slide my hand up and my palm covers her breast, the hard nipple telling me just how turned on she is.

I nuzzle her cheek, burrowing my head into her still-damp hair, working my way down her neck. “Did you think about this?” I ask, my voice coming out rougher than I intend. I feel the way she shifts on the bed, wanting more.

“Sometimes.” She moans and arches into my touch when the rough skin of my thumb slides across the small, tight nipple. “I dreamed about you kissing me.”

 I return my mouth to hers, kissing her deeply, hungrily, like I can never get enough of the way our mouths mesh together so perfectly. Eventually though, the kiss slows, frantic hands still, and I’m propped up on one elbow, just staring down at her.

Bella’s mouth is red, her lips a little swollen, her eyes half-closed and sleepy. She looks content. Her fingers reach up to trace my cheek, down to my jaw, ghosting over my lips. It feels so right to be with her it’s unreal. I underestimated this girl in so many ways. I’m never doing that again.

Without words, we shift onto our sides, her body cradled to mine, her back against my chest, touching from head to toe. Her feet are icy cold, and I smile against her hair.

I want more. She can feel how much I want more. My erection is pressed tightly against the curve of her ass, and yet, this is so good that I don’t need anything else. Just her soft body against mine. She reaches to click off the light and we weave our fingers together, pressing our joined hands against her stomach. I close my eyes, thinking it will take a while before I fall asleep, but I’m out immediately.

I wake up to the smell of coffee and the sound of running water in the bathroom. There’s a cup of coffee on my nightstand and I smile when I realize it has an obscene amount of sugar and very little cream, just the way I like it. God, she knows me so well; I kind of hate that I don’t know how she takes hers.

I blink in surprise when I realize the clock says 2:11 p.m. I can’t remember the last time I slept so late. Bella walks out of the bathroom, a cloud of steam following her. She’s towel drying her hair and she stops abruptly when she realizes I’m awake. She looks apprehensive for some reason, her smile a little hesitant, and her posture guarded.

It takes my still-sleepy brain a moment to put it together, but the moment I do, I set the coffee cup back on the nightstand. I reach out for her, grabbing her hand. “C’mere.”

She sits on the edge of the bed and hesitantly scoots back toward me. She lets out a yelp of surprise when I pull her to me, wrapping her tightly in my arms. She’s curled up with her back to my chest, both of us sitting on the bed.

“You know nothing’s changed, right?”

She stiffens and I curse myself for not wording that better. 

“I mean, nothing has changed from when I asked you to come home with me. _Everything_ has changed from before you stepped into the barn last night. What I’m trying to say is that I want you to know that I meant every word I said last night, Bella. I want you. I want us. I want this.” I squeeze her tightly to me, trying to reassure her. Apparently it works, because she relaxes, and turns around to face me. I drop my hands to her bare thighs, rubbing my thumb across her knee.

She wets her lips and tucks her hair behind her ear. “I just wasn’t sure. I wanted to believe that but I was afraid maybe you changed your mind in the light of day.”

“Hey, no, don’t say that. I’m sorry it took me so long to get my head out of my ass. It frustrates me that I wasted so much time, and that I ignored you for so long. I don’t understand it,” I say, baffled. “I feel like I must have been blind to not see you before.”

She shrugs. “I guess I’m just glad you see it now.”

Her lips are on mine before I can even blink. She tastes like toothpaste again and I wonder if I’ll ever be able to brush my teeth without thinking of kissing her. I probably have a horrible combination of morning and coffee breath, but she doesn’t seem to mind. Her hands are in my hair again and I moan when she tugs at it. She shifts so she’s straddling me, and I’m reminded of the night I was checking her out at the bar and fantasizing about her riding me. I know she can feel my cock through the thin layer of my pajama pants and my hands tighten around her waist before beginning to roam up and down her back.

When her hips begin to move over me, I dimly wonder if it’s too soon for this, but it feels too good to stop. I can hear her panting against me. I smile when I think that my lap is full of gorgeous, writhing girl. My hand slips up under her shirt, my palm laying flat against her bare back. She’s warm, and her skin is still slightly damp from the shower.

An unfamiliar ringtone finally drags me from my Bella-induced haze and I pull my lips from hers. Her cheeks are flushed and she looks so happy it makes my chest feel tight.

She giggles and smoothes down my hair. “I’m going to kill whoever that is for interrupting.”

I nod, and reluctantly release her. “We probably need to head out soon anyway, don’t we?”

“Unfortunately,” she grumbles.

I nuzzle against her jaw, kissing and nipping my way down her neck. “We have time. We are dating now, you know.”

She giggles again. “We are?”

“Definitely. I may have been an idiot for not seeing this sooner, but I’m not going to waste any time now. You, Bella Swan, are mine.”

She attacks my mouth with a hungry kiss again, but once again, the phone ringing interrupts us. We both groan. With a small smile, she wiggles off my lap and digs in her bag for her phone. She’s bent over and I can see the baggy boxers of mine sliding up the backs of her firm thighs and the way they curve over her ass. Once again, I’m stunned. With a groan, I get out of bed, glad her back is still to me as she answers the phone. I take the chance to adjust myself, pinning the head of my cock against my stomach with the waistband of my pajamas, and tugging the shirt down to cover it.  

I half-listen to her conversation as I duck into the bathroom, but the noise of the water drowns her voice out as I turn on the shower. I wonder what she’s saying. Going in today should be interesting. I know I’ll get a lot of flak for being with Bella when I resisted for so long, but I don’t really give a shit. She’s too good to pass up because of pride.

I shower quickly, skip shaving, and by the time I’d dressed and ready to go, Bella is curled up on the couch in my living room with my James Herriot book. She looks so right there, it’s ridiculous.

It’s almost time for her shift at the barn and we swing by a fast food place to pick up something to eat on the way there.

“Are you dipping your fries in a chocolate shake?” I ask, when I notice her doing it. I’m a little horrified by the idea.

“Mmhmm, they’re really good that way.”

“It sounds disgusting.”

“You’ve never tried it?”

“Nope.” I jam a few fries in my mouth and then cringe, realizing that I’m kind of acting like a pig.  Bella and I might be together, but we haven’t actually been on a date, and I should be trying to impress her. Sure, maybe she’s been in love with me for years, but it doesn’t mean I should act like a slob. I feel so oddly comfortable with her, it’s hard to remember that this is all new. I don’t even know her middle name or where she lives, or if she has pets.

“Want to try it?” she asks, an amused smile playing on her lips.

“Not really, but I guess I will,” I answer reluctantly.

She grins, and out of the corner of my eye, I see her grab two fries and dip them in the shake before lifting them to my mouth. I open and she carefully feeds them to me. The taste is actually not bad, sort of sweet and salty all at once. Licking her fingers is even better. We finish our meal that way, Bella alternating between feeding me and herself.  I like it.

**~**

At the barn, I lift her out of my truck and let her body slide against mine. She presses a giggling, teasing kiss against my lips and we walk into the barn hand in hand. Just my luck, there’s a gaggle of vet students standing in the center aisle when we round the corner. Jaws drop, elbows nudge, and one guy even chokes out the words “holy shit” at the sight of Bella and me together. They’re all staring. Figuring I might as well put on a show, I wrap an arm around her shoulders, swing the other one to her hip, and dip her. She shrieks and grabs at me when I kiss her deeply and her cheeks are bright red when I pull her back upright. She’s glowing though, eyes sparkling, a wide grin stretching from ear to ear.

I turn and face our flabbergasted audience. “Yes, I finally wised up and realized that Bella is the perfect girl for me. I’ll give you two days to give me as much shit as you want about it, and then you’re done. Deal?”

They nod dumbly at me, and I snicker and turn to kiss Bella’s forehead. “I’ve gotta call Ashley, okay?”

The amusement fades from her eyes. “You going to be okay?”

I sigh. “Yeah, it’s not going to be easy, but I’ll manage. You go do your work and I’ll come find you when I’m done.”

She squeezes my hand and I turn and walk away, my heart aching at the thought of what I need to go do. Dr. Banner is in his office when I poke my head in.

“Edward,” he says gruffly. “I heard you were with Riley last night when he went.”

I nod.

“Good. I’m glad. I was just thinking about calling the owners.”

“I’ll do it,” I offer.

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

He sighs and stands up, holding his hand out to me. “You’re going to make a damn good vet, Edward. I mean that. I have to scrub in for surgery; I’ve got a horse on its way with a twisted intestine, so you can stay in here while you make the call.”

“Thank you, sir.”

He leaves and I sink down in the chair, staring at the phone for a long time before I dial. I’ve called Ashley so often about updates on his condition, that I have her number memorized.

“Edward?” she gasps when she answers.

“He’s gone, Ashley,” I say quietly. I hear the muffled sob, but I continue. “It was as easy as it could be, and I was with him the whole time. I’m sorry; I wish we could have done more.”

There’s nothing but the sound of crying for a moment, and then I hear her mother pick up the phone. Her voice is husky, but steady. “We appreciate everything you did for him, you and Dr. Banner, and the whole staff there is really incredible. You made a very difficult situation as easy as possible.”

“You’re welcome,” I say hoarsely. “Riley was something special.”

Her breath catches. “We know. We knew that from the moment we met him.”

We talk for a little while, and I go through the usual explanation of what they’ll have to do to retrieve his body. They’re going to bury him on their farm. We talk for a while before she says goodbye. I hang up the phone and sit there for a long time. The ache in my chest is back, but once again, Bella seems to know. She peeks in the door and then walks inside, closing it quietly. She goes around behind me, her thumbs digging into the muscles I didn’t even know were tense.

“How’d it go?” she asks quietly.

“As well as can be expected, I guess. I talked to her mom for a while. They’re coming tomorrow to pick him up.”

Her thumbs move up my neck and I drop my head forward, groaning at the way she presses them into the spots at the base of my skull. “How did you know I need this?”

“I know you,” she says confidently. “Don’t think all those years were for nothing. I know your neck and shoulders get tight when you’re tense. You rub your neck when it starts to bother you.”

I reach back and grab her hand, bringing it forward so I can kiss her palm. My voice is gruff. “I don’t deserve you.”

“Well, I’m keeping you anyway, so too bad.”

I chuckle and grab her other hand, so her arms are wrapped around my shoulders. “Good.”

I catch up on paperwork and studying while Bella finishes her shift. We both have the following day off, and we end up heading to her place together that night. It’s a lot like mine, a small apartment not far from campus. We make dinner together and spend the evening on the couch watching TV. This time when we’re in bed, things go a little further. I learn that she’s loud. Like, really loud. She’s not at all ashamed of her pleasure, and bringing her to orgasm with my fingers is something I look forward to doing over and over again.

We fall asleep with her head on my chest, her cold toes pressed to my shins.

I’ve never been happier. I love this.

**~**

It’s been a month and a half since Riley died. Sometimes I still glance in his stall and expect him to be there. Today when I look in, it’s a short, dappled grey mare in there. She’s sweet, but she’s not Riley.

A hand slides up under my shirt and I turn into her touch, kissing the top of her head. “Hey you.”

Bella smiles understandingly up at me. “Missing him?”

I nod. She knows how hard it’s been for me. It’s funny, I’ve never been attached to a horse this way before, but I’m finding it hard to shake.

“I wish I’d had the chance to get to know him.”

“Me, too.” Pushing away the momentary bit of melancholy, I focus on her instead. In the time since Riley’s death, Bella and I have been pretty inseparable.

Our relationship has progressed ordinarily enough I suppose; we go out to dinner, and to the movies. We meet our friends at the bar, and now instead of two separate groups, we’re all jammed together at a giant table. Bella’s friends: Alice, Jasper, Jake, and Leah, mesh well with Rosalie, Emmett, Paul, Sam, Emily, and Jane. The beer flows, the laughter is loud, and now there’s a pretty, pink-cheeked girl on my lap.

Jessica, the waitress at the New Belgium Brewing Company, seems unfazed by the fact that I’m taken now and I’m glad I never went home with her. I’m sure she would have been a lot of fun, but its better this way.

People still give me shit about Bella occasionally, but I don’t care. She's worth it. Every second of it. Although I expected Emmett to give me the most shit about her, he doesn’t. It’s because he’s in love with her, too. Not the way I am, thank goodness; Rosalie would kick his ass. But he treats her like a little sister. She gives him so much shit back, and we’re all entertained by their continual bickering and pranks.

Bella stays over at my place often, and I stay at hers. We fall seamlessly into a routine. We haven’t slept together yet. Nothing in particular is holding us back. We’ve done just about everything else, but for some reason, we always stop. Today though, I’m taking her on a trail ride and I think that maybe it’s time for my most treasured fantasy to take place. We both have the day off, and I know the owners of a local ranch who have a massive spread of land and are willing to loan me a couple of horses for the day. It’s May, and the weather is perfect. The trees are green, the sun is shining, and it’s a beautiful seventy-five degrees.

We saddle the horses and I thank the barn manager profusely. A picnic is tucked in the saddlebags and we mount our horses. We start out at a walk, but as the fields open up and the horses urge us forward, we let loose. There is no sight in the world better than Bella on horseback, galloping ahead of me, her braid flying in the wind. She’s even more beautiful than I imagined.

We go until the horses tire, and then slowly drop to an easy loping walk as we hit a forested patch. Eventually, it opens up into a grass-filled meadow and we tie the horses loosely to trees. They happily set to work on the tall, dry grasses, and the quiet sounds of their chewing and contented whinnies make me feel at ease. We clean our hands and set out a picnic on a huge, faded quilt that Bella packed. After lunch, we nap for a little, side by side, hands intertwined. I’m still half-asleep when Bella lifts my hat off my face and peers under. Her eyes are bright and happy, and I tug her so she’s lying on top of me.

“I love you,” I whisper and she tilts her head to kiss me sweetly.

“I love you, too.” Her words are heartfelt and so are her kisses. They grow deep and soft, filled with an eagerness we’ve both been holding back on before. After a while, when I’m hard and straining for her, she sits up and rips her shirt open. It’s a plaid shirt with pearl snaps, so it pops right open. I grin and watch as she tosses it on the quilt beside us. Her bra immediately follows.  She’s not shy. Not at all, and I love that. My hands close in on her nipples, pink and puckered. She looks so good in the warm afternoon sunlight, and I sit up to kiss the freckles that dust her shoulders and down over the top of her breasts.

She smells like sunshine and clean laundry and I feel half-drunk on it. I pull her down on me and roll us over, sitting up so I can wiggle the painted-on jeans off her hips after I remove the boots. Her legs are long and lean, strong, and I kiss down her flat stomach as I tug off the blue cotton underwear with the little white bow.

I stare at her a while. Here, out in the open air, with the dappled light on her skin, she looks so beautiful it’s unreal.  My eyes roam over her and she doesn’t shift uncomfortably, or try to cover herself. She’s naked and unashamed the quiet stillness of the meadow.  She’s mine, every beautiful inch of her.

I position myself between her thighs. No matter how many times I pleasure her with my mouth, it’s never too often. I lick and suck at her, feeling her fingers thread through my hair. It stings sometimes, when she pulls a little hard, but I like it. I like it when her thighs flex and tense against my ears and she moans low and long. But I like it best when her whole body goes tight, straining and reaching for that peak. Her sigh of relief when she comes down is music to my ears. I love making her feel good like that.

This is normally where we stop, or she goes down on me, but I want more. I glance up at her face and she nods, just once. It’s time. We’ve talked about this and I know I don’t need to worry about anything between us. She watches as I strip out of my clothes, until we’re both wearing nothing but sunshine.

I whisper that I love her when I push inside her, and her eager, gasping response makes my heart beat faster. When I’m settled deep within her, I roll us over and she lifts up. She’s glorious in the golden light and we just look at each other for the longest time, green eyes locked on brown. I fumble for the tie at the base of her braid and work it loose, burying my hands in the thick, soft strands. It falls around her shoulders, a tumble of chestnut brown and mahogany.

When she moves, I settle my hands gently on her hips and let her take over. She's warm, all wet sweetness and movement. I was right; a girl who rides English has no equal when it comes to this position, but it’s so much more than that. It’s the way she knows me, inside and out. The quiet way she takes care of me when I’m hurting. It’s the way I care for her, and the fact that I’ve never loved anyone the way I love her.

Dazzled by the brilliant sunshine and the feeling of being inside her, I come hard and long. She does too, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I’m going to ask this woman to marry me.

There’s a fourth truth now.

_Someday, Bella Swan will become Bella Cullen._

And I couldn’t be happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Hope you liked this. The first part didn’t feel quite finished, but I think this wraps it up nicely. They’re both happy together and Edward got to experience his fantasy come to life. I don’t ever expect to write more of their story, so if you want a glimpse of their HEA, this is it. 
> 
> I picture both Edward and Bella becoming vets, getting married, having a few kids and eventually buying some land and starting a horse rescue where they’ll live until they’re old and grey when Edward’s eventually reunited with Riley. Because as my mother says, “If there aren’t horses in heaven, I’m not going.” And I bet Edward would feel the same.

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: This wasn’t an easy story for me to write; it’s loosely based off the experiences I had in college when my horse got cancer. None of the vet students were as hot as this Edward, but they were all really fabulous people and took amazing care of him. This story is dedicated to my four-legged buddy. I still miss you. You were the best horse a girl could have had!
> 
> This story was a little different for me, but I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Feel free to stop by to chat or look for teasers in the following places:  
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